Cell surface receptors are, in general, excellent and validated drug targets. nAChRs comprise a large family of ligand-gated ion channels that control neuronal activity and brain function. These receptors have a pentameric structure. In mammals, this gene family is composed of nine alpha and four beta subunits that co-assemble to form multiple subtypes of receptors that have a distinctive pharmacology. Acetylcholine is the endogenous regulator of all of the subtypes, while nicotine non-selectively activates all nAChRs.
The α7 nAChR is one receptor system that has proved to be a difficult target for testing. Native α7 nAChR is not routinely able to be stably expressed in most mammalian cell lines (Cooper and Millar, Nature, 366(6454), p. 360–4, 1997). Another feature that makes functional assays of α7 nAChR challenging is that the receptor is rapidly (100 milliseconds) inactivated. This rapid inactivation greatly limits the functional assays that can be used to measure channel activity.
Recently, Eisele et al. has indicated that a chimeric receptor formed between the N-terminal ligand binding domain of the α7 nAChR (Eisele et al., Nature, 366(6454), p 479–83, 1993), and the pore forming C-terminal domain of the 5-HT3 receptor expressed well in Xenopus oocytes while retaining nicotinic agonist sensitivity. Eisele et al. used the N-terminus of the avian (chick) form of the α7 nAChR receptor and the C-terminus of the mouse form of the 5-HT3 gene. However, under physiological conditions the α7 nAChR is a calcium channel while the 5-HT3R is a sodium and potassium channel. Indeed, Eisele et al. teaches that the chicken α7 nAChR/mouse 5-HT3R behaves quite differently than the native α7 nAChR with the pore element not conducting calcium but actually being blocked by calcium ions. WO 00/73431 A2 reports on assay conditions under which the 5-HT3R can be made to conduct calcium. This assay may be used to screen for agonist activity at this receptor.
WO 00/73431 A2 discloses two binding assays to directly measure the affinity and selectivity of compounds at the α7 nAChR and the 5-HT3R. The combined use of these functional and binding assays may be used to identify compounds that are selective agonists of the α7 nAChR.